Out and About in Brugge

I slept in a little bit the following morning. Although I would usually sleep till 10, I slept till 8 and had to wake

up coz breakfast was only served till 9:30 am. Us girls were all awake and had breakfast at the same time.

Breads, cheese, ham, coffee, juice, cereals and fruits were served. That was enough to fill up my tummy in the morning. All of the girls checked out that morning except for Missen. Which was good so at least we had more space in the bedroom.

Maria, on her way to Berlin, gave me her email and hugged me goodbye. Later on, the 2 girls from Mexico said goodbye, they were on their way to Brussels. They gave me the name of their hostel in case they said we’d bump into each other.

After some time, I decided to drop by the nearest grocery store. Missen wanted to do the same, but was thinking of dropping by Carrefour. I told her there was somewhere cheaper and closer, Aldi. So she came along with me and was happy with the prices. Earlier on, we made a barter, I gave her my 1-minute rice packet and she gave me her Taiwanese noodles. Apparently, it was her first time to be away from home and overseas. She was on a working holiday visa and looking for a job in Brugge.

I bought a few items that I know I could take with me whilst exploring. Missen decided to stay for a while,

and I headed back to the hostel. I decided to cook food for my lunch which I’d later take with me whilst I explore the town center. It was really embarrassing when I was cooking my stuff in the microwave, a guy passed by and checked out what I was doing. Seriously, I was the only one doing that. Oh well, shouldn’t complain at all. I was on a budget. And the night before I checked out the prices, just to feel like my eyes pop out with the amounts.

Around 1 pm I was on my way to town. Walked the 20-minutes and started my full-on exploring. I knew it wasn’t a smart idea to be on antihistamine, but I was having a little bit of a rash when I got to Brugge. So I thought, worse comes to worse, I can always go back to the hostel and just sleep it off.

Church of our Lady

The streets were more crowded than ever. It was a Thursday but all of the summer tourists arrived, along with heaps of kids on holiday. The canals were busy with their boat rides, horses were around with their masters, providing town rides in its elegance.

My first stop was at Church of Our Lady, a medieval architecture said to be one of the world's highest towers. There they have The Madonna and Child, the only piece of Michael Angelo’s that can be found outside of Italy. it stood at the right corner of the Church. There was a fee to have a glimpse of her which I didn't have second thoughts of. The whole church was getting restored and a few old paintings were getting a retouch. Further on were the tombs of 2 well know figures of Brugge.

On the way, I stopped by a random shop to try the Belgian Waffle + vanilla ice cream on top. I wondered what was so special about it, just to find that it was the same taste as what I would have back in New Zealand.

I continued on to Beguinage, which seemed to be a courtyard of white houses. It seemed to be a monastery

where only women would commune and men were not allowed even to visit back in the days. It was a cute area, nestled with trees and seemed to have enough seclusion from the busy streets of Brugge. The St. Elizabeth Church was pretty and less crowded that the Our Lady. I stayed for about half an hour, just closing my eyes and contemplating on a few things. When it was getting a little bit noisy with the tourists, I decided to leave.

I continued to roam the streets, trying to dodge busy schools of people. I found a few stops worth taking photos of. I loved the bicycles that stood still beside bricked houses or painted windows. Swans floated lazily along canals, another item of my photography.

Holy Blood

I eventually found myself at the Holy Blood Church and was happy that I got there in time for the exposition. There inside a golden see through canister was what they claimed to be Jesus’ blood. I stared at it for a while, and whispered the prayer that was given to us by the caretaker. She sat silently in front of the canister and stayed vigil while people stood in front of her in scrutiny of the relic before them.

Of course this was once again, one of the touristic places in Brugge.

the Markt Square

I got out and found the Belfry just a few meters away. There it stood in its grandeur, claimed to be leaning a little bit. It was in the middle square, surrounded by the crazy market bizarre that I didn’t expect to be there. It would have been a great photo with the gray clouds looming over the clock. There were 300+ steps to go up the Belfry, and from there get a dazzling view “they say”, of the town. But since the square was decorated with colourful tents of merchants, I decided I wouldn’t get a clean shot of the main square. I decided to have my packed lunch in the middle of the square, just beneath the statue. There I gazed at the market and did a lot of people watching. The antihistamine was hitting me hard and I felt my head palpitating plus movements slowly getting sluggish. The couple seated beside me was staring when I took out my lunch, as if they haven’t seen anyone eat rice before.

The heat was getting a little bit intense and I found the palpitations increasing. I looked around and just took a few photos of the different coloured buildings around the square which actually reminded me of Newfoundland. A busket was singing in the corner "How does it feel to be on your own with no direction home just like a rolling stone"..... the words echoed through the streets. I could quite relate to the lyrics. I wonder what Bob Dylan's inspiration was in writing that song.

I walked through the market and found a waffle shop. The guy was really friendly, blue eyed and particularly cute. I’d say it was more of his personality. I stopped and bought a waffle and ended up chatting with him. Now, I know I said he was cute. But seriously, I think his waffles were the best I’ve ever tried. After chatting for a while, I learned that his business was to supply several shops around Brugge with his waffles. That explained it. I tried asking the recipe but he just winked, smiled and said “Well of course, that’s a secret”. I ended up buying another pack of baby waffles. He also explained to me that the market event they were having that day only happens once a year in Brugge. good timing.

I found myself back in the hostel around 8pm. I found a box of chocolate biscuits with a note “Yes, you’re right they’re very good. Let’s enjoy it together.”, signed Missen. I smiled and just had to take a photo of that particular moment. Earlier at the grocery shop, I pointed out that brand and said it was yummy. I did remember her taking a photo. It was really cute of her.

I slept through the following day. 12 hours straight. Missen woke up and told me that she actually took the

train to Brussels and went drinking with her friends, Which explained me hearing someone silently sneaking in around midnight. She was hilarious.

We had breakfast together and had a chat. She was only 24 years old when she left home. She explained that she came from a big family and that they it was her first time to leave and be independent. I told her it was good, and her age was a good time to do it. She still struggled with English but I knew that through the months, she’d pick it all up quickly most especially if she was surrounded with English speaking people.

We hang out in the lounge and I showed her a few videos of mine playing the guitar and piano. We enjoyed also the song from Sigur Ros. My first time to meet someone who knew them too. She was so happy.

Around 12 pm I hugged her goodbye and wished her well. I walked to the nearby bus stop then got off the central station. I bought tickets, 7.50 Euros and hang out for a while in a coffee shop, trying to finish a few entries of my blog.

By 12:59 I was bound for Brussels.